Kaizer Chiefs’ Masilela inspired by age-defying Federer

Tsepo Masilela in action for Kaizer Chiefs. Photo: Sydney Mahlangu/ BackpagePix

Tsepo Masilela in action for Kaizer Chiefs. Photo: Sydney Mahlangu/ BackpagePix

Published Jul 20, 2017

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JOHANNESBURG - The sight of Roger Federer winning yet another Wimbledon title this past weekend has stirred up some fire in Tsepo Masilela.

“I am a fan of tennis, and seeing Roger win a Grand Slam when so many people were starting to doubt him, gave me a push. It inspired me to say: ‘I can still do it’,” said the Kaizer Chiefs left back.

And so it will be with renewed vigour that Masilela, himself considered way past his sell-by-date by many, tackles the upcoming season, driven by a desire to show that age is no limitation but also the need to help Amakhosi avoid a trophyless hat-trick of seasons.

“It’s very important for me to keep winning trophies. I’ve been with Chiefs for a while now and I’ve won two league titles and a few (knockout) trophies. And once you’ve tasted winning and lifting the trophy, it is amazing. You keep on wanting that feeling.”

At 32 years of age, Masilela is among the club’s senior players and it is up to the likes of him that coach Steve Komphela will look to for leadership as Chiefs strive to bring back the glory days.

Masilela is up to the task.

“There’s a big role for us. We’ve got new players who have just joined and we also have the younger ones joining from the academy. The only way for us to lead them is through our performances. Of course, we can lead and talk to them off the field, but we have to show it with our performances because that’s where it all matters.

“Two seasons and no trophy is bad for a team like Chiefs ... We are not really in a place to say we want to win everything, but of course we are in it to win it. The competition is tough, it has always been tough, but let’s see how it plays out.”

He says they learnt some big lessons from the previous campaign.

“Obviously, we cannot concede (goals) as much as we did and especially at the times we conceded - at crucial stages like the dying minutes of the game. We must be able to manage and close down the game. And while we do score, we can always improve there.”

He also says Chiefs will do well to hit the ground running and ensure they set the pace or at least be up there with the pace-setters.

“We don’t want to be in a situation where we are playing catch-up. So, if we start strong, even if we have a slump, we’ll have the points or maybe we’ve already won a trophy, it will relieve the pressure.”

With the Carling Black Label looming large against Orlando Pirates, Masilela says it is important that Amakhosi, fresh from winning the Bokone Bophirima Maize Cup, lay down the marker.

“Derby expectations are always high,” he states. “It’s a derby at the end of the day. I hear tickets are already sold out, that says a lot about the magnitude of the game. We want to win it for the fans, but it is good for the club too and as a player you need to see how far you are - if your tank is filled up.”

Despite an illustrious career that has even seen him play in the highly-rated La Liga as well as the World Cup and win numerous titles, Masilela’s desire for success is clearly not filled up yet. 

And with Federer showing him it can be done no matter one’s age, the Chiefs left back has all intentions to have a massive season.

@Tshiliboy

The Star

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